The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-05-26

IuelI tlleOllGh Vi government 1HO
true business OF life, and the real pur-
poses of government is the making of
money, by hook Or by crook and
golr course is the only wise one. Par
don us, we will never do 50 any moro
we are now going to follow your eX-
ample, and try to be, and to do and to
look just like you, as much as possible.
Our regime shall be the "New South"
you see we are already forsaking the
language of our mistaken old fathers
and are shouting your slogans as lust
lily as anybody else. We are yelling
for material development, we have
rings and pools and syndicates just
like you. We cry out for protection
to American labor" and are beginning
already to taste the joys of taking
money by taxation out of the pockets
OF our neighbors to put into our own!
We are ashamed of our past errors
the New South will have no more of
them forever!
Disguise it with all the high-sound-
ing phrases you can invent, this is
what it all means,a more contemplate
spirits hard to imagine Aman who
would apologize to the adversary, who
had just overpowered him, not because
he is convinced he is wrong, but sim
ply because he was whipped, is a poor
sort of dog The man who is asham-
ed of the great men and great ideas
OF the past goneration,-of the Old
South,-is none of mine. How the
whole tribe would have yelped on the
opposite scent if the fortunes of war
had been different? Donot misunder-
stand me my friends. No one has
striven harder for, or rejoices more in
the prospect which opens before the
South for material progress | Iexult in
the fact, which | believe to be the fact,
that, with our soil and climate, wa
ter power, coal and minerals cheap and
abundant means Of living, and all that
nature has done for us, we can and
soon will beat New England in her
own chosen fields of industry. In the
few particulars wherein we compete
with them-in the manufacture of
low grade cotton, for instance they are
already on the beg, and have only been
sustained by the unjust discrimina-
tions of railroad companies, AS q
slight test Of the sincerity of their pro-
fessed desire for us to adopt their in
dustries and be like them l will state
that an amendment which / offered to
the Tariff Act of 1888, providing for
the admission of machinery for cot
ton mills in the South free of duty, was
met for short time by their unani-
nous opposition, aided by some intense
admirers of the New South. Although
we had been taxed on everything we
consumed for three-quarters of a cen
tury to enable them to build up theil
infant industries, they would not per.
NIT us to be untaxed for five years on
one article for the benefit of our in
FAINT industries! But fear not, oh
we of little faith! We can acquire
riches without casting dirt upon the
memory Of our dead or OF our living
who served us so we'll We can ac
quire riches without the sacrifice o.
our manhood, We can acquire richie
without surrendering our love ofliber
ty and constitutional government
We can acquire riches, | trust with ;
proper sense of their legitimate us
} and of their subordination to the NOR
noble purposes OF society. We can &C
+ quire riches in the demanding of ou
3 rights under the constitution, as wei
as in the surrendering Of them; an
9 as we go laboring and toiling for thei
e accumulation, let us 60 believing carr
! estly in the political paraphrase Of tn
: Divine command, "Seek first the Re
= public Of Liberty, and all good thing
: shall be added thereunto."
y A new South! All, yes indeed le
r us have a new South; but for the SAX
/ of humanity, let us not model it afte
y the selfish phariseeism of the New FL
L gland pattern, To accept the result
y of the war in s2d faith and bow t
= the ineyToNNNgo With dignity, is right
l. to do W W cogan to repair its evils,
e reFat " our fortunes, accommodat
l. ourselves to the changed condition
p affairs, and do our part toward resto
Of ing harmony between brethren c
le tranged and embittered, is our oby
IS. Gus policy as well as christian dut
t. If this be the meaning of the ter
al New South, then l have no objectic
to its use. Buff, as seems to be Il
y, understanding, we be required to fc
ed get the political wisdom OF our sage
IN to repudiate our reverence for the co
tn stitution of our country, to forego Il
tie the traditions Of chivalry and hon
h. which we have been taught, to ado
es. the yitiated, northern morality, whi
we regards the almighty dollar as t
ch chief end oil man, suspends at pleasu
no the ten commandments treats the